Norman Music Festival hits a high note in 2018
NORMAN — Norman Music Festival started 11 years ago with an unbridled enthusiasm for making a free music festival happen in downtown Norman.
It’s grown in both size and ambition, featuring more than 300 bands on several stages throughout the college town’s Main Street drag.
Last weekend, I saw that vision scratch at perfection. The ideal weather, savvy talent booking and huge crowds blended together three days in a row during one of Oklahoma’s busiest weekends.
Yet, NMF felt so laid back. I spent nearly 20 hours at the festival and it rarely appeared like anyone was running the show. Sure, there were a few hiccups but nearly everything ran smoothly.
Not bad for a festival with a literal locomotive running through it.
It’s hard to complain about much after seeing how Saturday afternoon was a near polar opposite to the rained-out conclusion to 2017’s festival. You couldn’t have purchased a more pristine weekend in April.
Here’s a few more observations from the eleventh rendition of NMF.
1. This NMF belonged to the ladies
Thursday’s festival headliner Japanese Breakfast snagged a flower from the crowd. She looked at the gift and asked the Opolis crowd if Norman could get any more beautiful. She could’ve been referencing the pitch-perfect weather, but it must have been aimed at her warm reception.
The Philadelphia-based band, led by Michelle Zauner, was one of many female-centered acts that left me floored at NMF. Zauner’s original material gets more room to breath in a live setting, but it was her gorgeous Cranberries cover of “Dreams” that will stick with me forever.
Tune-Yards, Kississippi, Snail Mail, Casii Stephan, The Lamps and Lincka also set the standard for great performances this year.
“It’s been a long time since people have sung the words to our songs,” said Kississippi singer Zoe Allaire Reynolds. “We just got off the road opening for Dashboard Confessional, but tonight is just so special.”
Agreed.
2. Surprises were everywhere
I had big expectations for Republican Hair and the poprock confections from the mind of Oklahoma’s own Luke Dick didn’t disappoint. His band — dressed in all white — drove all the way from Nashville to make their Saturday set before putting on a second surprise show at midnight.
That’s the kind of awesome reward you get for making the trek to Norman. Horse Thief also squeezed in a last-minute set at Sooner Theatre with a guest appearance from sideman extraordinaire Kyle Reid. It’s inspiring to see that sorta enthusiasm from both bands and fans.
Sometimes surprises lean the other direction. Parquet Courts headlined Friday night of NMF but singer/guitarist Andrew Savage had pretty much lost his voice. Kudos to him for shredding through more than an hour of concert like nothing was holding him back.
3. Parking woes
A word to the wise: Don’t plan on parking along Main Street after Friday evening on NMF weekend.
I saw several cars getting towed to make way for the festival’s main stage and even a few performers’ cars made the trip to the tow yard. Parking signs lined the streets leading up the weekend but those warnings might’ve been hard
to see if you were in a hurry to get to a gig or catch a concert.
It’s a bummer but if organizers want to start building the main stage at 5 a.m. Saturday then those streets have to be empty.
4. Chill out
As much fun as it is to catch a rowdy, outdoor act, I enjoy the relative serenity of a Sooner Theatre performance. I caught both Andy Adams and Jason Scott along with comfy seating and air conditioning. The two Americana-leaning songwriters recruited excellent backing bands to fill the room with clever sounds and songs.
Relaxing between sets is something I forget to do. I’m always in a hurry to squeeze in at least one more show. I’m glad I took the time to grab a plate of gooey cheese fries and sit backstage to soak in Anna Burch on Friday night.
“I’d like to thank NMF for inviting me to play when I had no other shows booked,” Burch told the crowd.
The Detroit-based singer provided a fitting soundtrack to the beautiful evening. I enjoyed the break. After all, a festival shouldn’t have to always feel like work.
5. The big finish
It’s funny to think how on Thursday afternoon you couldn’t tell that thousands of people were about to descend onto NMF. It looked like any other spring day excluding the solo street performer being out a Killers track to no one. He was more than ready.
By Saturday night, tens of thousands of music enthusiasts dotted every inch of Main Street.
City councilman Stephen Tyler Holman surveyed the crowd as the festival came to a close. Before introducing Tune-Yards, he told the main stage crowd it might be one of the biggest festivals to date. I wouldn’t be surprised.
If you care about creating an experience for music in Oklahoma — and didn’t have to be up at dawn Sunday for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon — then there’s a good chance you were in Cleveland County.
NMF continues to set the standard for big-scale concert experiences in Oklahoma.
Organizers sure set a high bar for the encore.